Amphoreus, the " Demigod Council " Dawncloud Cliff
So... where did Aglaea go?
The Fool's Mask feigned ignorance and looked at Ye Yan, who was tinkering with the " Eternity Ice Coffin".
"Hmm~ In an experiment... called 'Blasphemy'."
"Holy crap, what kind of rubbish is this?!"
Ye Yan looked up at the sky and smiled mysteriously.
If we had to put it in perspective, the ' Chrysos Heirs ' who made their exit from the history of Amphoreus have been sent to the core of the Scepter to take turns conquering the " Destruction " factor of the Iron Tomb.
" Romance," " Law," " Ocean "... and a third of it is " Passage "...
"Wow~ How can there be such a lazy Aeon?" This wasn't the first time the Fool's Mask had made such a comment.
Meanwhile, the Cloud Stone Market
Xing walked into the " Pink Fairy " milk tea shop with a worried look on her face and found March 7th, who hadn't made a sound since participating in the " Years " trial.
" March 7th, I never imagined so many days would pass and you'd still be here."
"Haha~ Actually, it hasn't been that long... After all, we couldn't have helped much with Castorice's 'death' trial."
March 7th scratched her head. "Professor Dan Heng is busy researching Titan and the Chrysos Heirs, while this girl who participated in the 'Trials of Years '... to be honest, I don't feel much has changed."
"Yes, I can understand. After all, we still have too little information at this stage, and Ye Yan has been secretly carrying out a big operation behind our backs."
Xing thought about it carefully; it was quite unexpected that Aglaea and Tribbie hadn't appeared in the " Garden of Life."
To avoid causing panic among the citizens of Okhema, Phainon uniformly announced that ' Canis led the Purgers in an assassination attempt on the Chrysos Heirs, but failed and accidentally fell into the Cloud Stone Heavenly Palace; Aglaea perished, Tribbie was injured.'
"Hey, hey, hey, this doesn't sound right at all! Do you really think you can get away with this?"
This is the only explanation Xing can offer. "The powerful force of ' Equilibrium ' has exerted its strength!"
"It's strange, really. When Teacher Dan Heng went to the ' Vortex of Genesis,' he found that the Priestess's milk tea shop had vanished into thin air!"
"The case is solved. It was ' Eternity ' again." March 7th's tightly furrowed brows immediately relaxed, and he even had a sudden inspiration:
"Hiss~ Could it be that Teacher Ye Yan has sent Aglaea to fight the final boss?"
"I don't know, meow."
March 7th's lips twitched slightly. "Once this ' Trailblaze ' is over, we'll have to give Teacher Ye Yan a good beating when we get back to the train!"
"Torture" Eternity... that's interesting."
One day later, the Cloud Stone Heavenly Palace
At dawn, the Star General will summon the citizens, where Phainon will deliver his sermon.
Without Lady " Goldweaver," how can the Holy City continue...?
The citizens were mostly in a negative state; in their view, the future of Okhema was bleak.
Some citizens felt uneasy and hesitant about Phainon's emergence at this time.
" Phainon? Will he step forward to lead Okhema?"
"Not long ago, I gave a speech at the citizens' assembly in Dawncloud Cliff."
"At that time, in order to keep the gold merchants Flame-Chase, I racked my brains trying to figure out what kind of rhetoric I could use to win people's support."
Finally, I recalled a teacher's words: In situations where words are the weapon, anger and blind rage are far more powerful than Reason.
"So I adopted his strategy. I denigrated my opponents as insects, attacked their character, and listed their crimes."
"My strategy worked. It garnered me enough votes to achieve my goal. But afterwards? I felt no joy whatsoever."
Phainon looked down at the uneasy crowd of citizens, "Because I know very well that this apparent victory masks a much greater defeat."
"When I resorted to any means to incite conflict in my pursuit of victory, I strayed far from my original purpose in joining the Flame-Chase cause."
"This journey should have united us, not divided us; it should have made us stronger, not weaker."
"In the past, it was golden threads that mended our cracks."
Phainon took out the gold thread bracelet. "Some might compare it to a surveillance agent, a tool of control, but no one can deny... that Aglaea stitched this city, and even this fragmented world, back together."
"But she is no more—yes, as you have heard—the demigod Aglaea, who guarded the holy city for a thousand years, has indeed fallen."
After he finished speaking, the citizens of Okhema below the stage all looked indignant and wanted the murderer to be severely punished.
"At first, I felt the same way you did."
"At first, I also wanted to join you here to condemn the evil deeds of sinners and discuss how to bring them to justice..."
Phainon paused for a moment, "... but my thoughts have changed."
"At this moment, the golden threads in the city have dissipated, yet I see no one cheering or rejoicing at escaping control. In the empty markets and bathhouses, I see only one emotion: unease."
"Because everyone present knew perfectly well that the last safeguard against being hurt by the darkness in each other's hearts had vanished."
"From then on, apart from the moral imperatives we create for ourselves, no divine power can protect us from malice."
Mimi listened to Phainon's sermon, " Phainon, he's such a good talker!"
Xing looked pleased. "Cultural people are just different."
"Yes, you're right!"
" The Journey of Flame-Chase is nearing its end; the only Titan the Chrysos Heirs need to conquer is Aegle."
"But before I ascend to the sky, I will first challenge you—I challenge the possible darkness and malice in your hearts, so that your souls may clear before this sky!"
"Allow me to bear witness: even without the ' Romance ' divine authority, Okhema will still be an ideal paradise in the end times."
Phainon gripped the bracelet wrapped in gold thread tightly. "Here dwells the new world that Aglaea longed for, the new world foretold in the Prophecy..."
"A better person!" he declared emphatically.
Citizens responded enthusiastically, "... Better people!"
"A better person! A better person!"
"A better person! A better person!! A better person!!!"
"I am grateful that you accepted the challenge. You made me realize that Aglaea left me with is perhaps the most basic responsibility in the world."
"To bear the destiny of Creation, I only need to give one thing. It is a gift that She generously bestowed upon me, and I will pass it on to each of you: unwavering faith."
Phainon turned around, "There's still a long way to go before Amphoreus's rebirth. But we won't forget the past as we move forward, because the Remembrance of Amphoreus will always benefit those who come after."
He turned to look at the citizens, "Please lend me this moment. I wish to borrow a few minutes of your time to commemorate a demigod who has graced the Holy City for a thousand years..."
"... She is the tailor of Okhema, the leader of the Chrysos Heirs, ' Goldweaver ' Aglaea. And her greatest feat in life—"
"--It means becoming a selfless person."